Automatic bookmark



July 7, 1931. I H. M. FULLER 1,813,446

AUTQIQIATIC BOOKMARK Filed Aug. 2. 1930 1 5 'i'ififff 1113111213 9 1 3 7I? 5. /0 'gwmntoz I HM FuZZar 4 Cute mum:

Patented July 7, 1931 WWW HERBERT M. FULLER, OF BRADENTON, FLORIDAAUTOMATIC BOOKMARK Application filed August 2,1930. Serial No. 472,677.

This invention relates 'to the automatic book mark forming the subjectmatter of my application filed August 18,- 1929, serially numbered385,625 and allowed June 30, 1930.

That book mark comprises a clip adapted to be engaged with the upperedge portion of a back leaf of a book, a rigid support extend ingforwardly from the upper end of the clip, and an indicator carried bythe support 210 and adapted to overlie and contact with a front leaf ofthe book. In one form of such book mark, the indicator is slidablyconnected to the support and in another form thereof, the indicator ispivotally and slidably connected to the support, the indicator isadapted to contact with the front sides of the leaves of the book asthey are successively presented thereto as the reading progresses, andthe indicator isadapted to remain in contact with the upper side of thelast page presented thereto after the book has been closed.

The present invention has for one of its objects to improveand simplifythe general construction of the book mark, to the end that its cost ofmanufacture may be materially reduced, and to the endthat it may be madeof paper or light sheet metal or the like.

lVith the foregoing and other objects, the

.nature of'which will appear as the description proceeds, the inventioncomprehends the provision of a'book mark wherein the indicator shallbeconnected to the clip through the medium of a resilient support adaptedto be placed under tension during the application of the clip to a backleaf of a book and the positioning of the indicator upon a front leaf ofthe book, the resilient support holding the indicator in flat abuttingcontact withthe front leaf and constantly tending to move it in thedirection of the clip. sothat it will similarly contact with the leavesas they are successively presented thereto.

The invention further comprehends the provision of a'book mark of thecharacter stated wherein the resilient support shall be in the form of anormally collapsed crimped strip adapted to be extended to place itunder tension.

The invention... further comprehends the provision of a bookmark of thecharacter stated which shall embodymeans adapted to limit theextensionof the resilient support in order to prevent it from being tensionedbeyond the limit of its elasticity.

The invention further comprehends the provision of a bookmark of thecharacter stated wherein the clip, indicator, resilient support andmeans for limiting the stretching of the support shall be formed from asingle blank of paper or other suitable material. v

The invention is hereinafter more fully described and claimed, andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein 1- Figure l is asectional view illustrating the application of the book mark;

Figure 2 is a plan View of the book mark; Figure 8 is a view in endelevation of the book mark;

Figure e is a sectional View of a frag .Inentary portion of the bookmark with the indicator support in extended condition;

Figure 5 is an end view of the book mark equipped with a modified formof indicator support;

' Figure 6 1s an end view of the book mark equipped with a modified formof the means for limiting the extension of the indicator support, and

Figure 7 is a side view of a fragmentary portion of the bookmarkequipped with the modified form of the means for limiting the extensionof the indicator support.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 1 designates the clip, 2 theindicator, and 3 the resilient support. The clip comprises a base plate4 of elongated rectangular formation in plan, and a tongue 5 struck upfrom the base plate near the upper end of the latter. The clip 1 isadapted to be engaged with the upper edge portion of a back leaf, suchas indicated at 6, of a book 7, with its upper end portion extendingbeyond the upper edges of the leaves. The support 3 is in the form of acrimped strip which is attached at one end to the front side of theupper end portion of the clip plate 4,-andtothe front, endof which theindicator 2 is attached. The support 3 is in normally collapsedcondition, and is adapted to be extended and flexed to develop thetension or elasticity thereof. The support 3 normally holds theindicator 2 close to the clip 1 and permits the indicator to be movedforwardly from. the clip and rocked upwardly and forwardly andlaternally with respect to the clip so as to permit the page to beturned without drawing it downward from beneath the indicator.

The indicator 2 is of rectangular formation in plan, and extendsdownwardly from the front end of the support 3, and is normallymaintained in parallel relation to the clip plate t by the support. Theindicator 2 is adapted to be placed in contact with the front side of afront leaf, such as indicated at 8, of the book 7, and during theapplication of the indicator to this :lea'f it is moved forwardly withrespect to the clip l'with the result that the support 3 istensioned andconstantly tends to move the indicator in the direction of the clip 1,and in view thereof, the indicator will move into contact with theleaves between it and the clip, as they are successively presentedthereto as the reading progresses. During the turning of the page withwhich the indicator 2 contacts, the indicator is rocked, and suchmovement of the indicator tensions the sup port 3, with the result that,after the page has been swung beyond the indicator, the support reactsand returns the indicator to position for contact with the next page.

A flexible element 9 which is secured at 'on'e'cnd to the clip 1 and atits other to the indicator 2, and which passes freely'throu'g-h thesupport 3, limits the extension of the support so as to prevent it frombeing tensioned beyond the limit of its elasticity.

The support 3 may consist of a single member extending transverselyacross the clip land indicator 2,as shown in Figures 1 to 4. If desired,the support .may be formed separately from the clip land indicator 2 andcemented to such parts, as shown in Figures l'to 3, or'it may be formedintegrally with the clap and indicator as shown in Figure l wherein thesupport is designated 3 7 As shown in Figure 5, the support may consistof threecrimped members designated '3", 3 and 3 vhich may be formedseparately from the clip 1 and indicator 2 and terminally securedthereto. If-desired, the

sn 1 ort member 3 ma be formed'i'nte rall a is Y with the-clip landindicator 2, and the support members 3" and 8 maybe formed in 'tegrallywith the indicator and attached to the clip, as indicated 'in'thisFigure. The

support rn'ember 3 is arranged with its corrugations extendingtransversely of the clip 1 and indicator 2, and is arranged at thecenter of these parts. The support ine1n-- bers 0 and 3 are arrangedlaterally beyond the support member 3 and have their corrugationsextending longitudinally of the clip and indicator orat right angles tothe corrugations of the support member 3. The means for limiting theextension of the support members 3 3 and ii scompri-ses-a flexibleelement 9 which is secured to the clip 1 and indicator 2 and passesfreely through the support member 3.

Instead of using a flexible member for limiting the extension of thesupport, jointed members 10 may be employed, and when employed, they arevarranged at the ends of the support 3 and terminally connected to sothe clip 1 and indicator-2, and these limiting members may be formedintegrally with the clip and indicator or made separately and terminallycemented thereto. An elastic element 11 is terminally secured ito theside" 35 edges of the clip land is adapted to be engaged over theindicator 2 to hol'dthe parts of the book mark lagai'nst relativermovement when it is not in use, and each form of the book mark isprovided with this element.

If desired, the book mark-may bevlpermanently secured to the book :bycementing its part 1 to the inner side 'o'f'the iback cover-of the book,and when this application of the book mark is resorted to, the'part lis'not'95 made in the form of a clip but consists merely of -a singlestrip of paper.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, it should be apparent that when 'the iOO bookmark is applied to a book 'in'the man ner illustrated in Figure l, "theindicator support under tension and holds the indicater in full abuttingcontact with 'the front I side of the leaf located forwardly of the"leaf with which "the clip is engaged, and that the indicator will yieldreadi'lyun'der the pressure applied thereto b'y and as the result of theturning of the leaf with which it contacts, thus permitting the l'eaf'tobe turned. The indicator contacts with them-ext leaf, and is held infull abutting "contact therewith by its support. This is continueduntil'the'leaf'with which the clip i's engaged isreached. VVhen thisoccurs, the clip mlry" 1 be engaged with another hack leaf, and theindicator arranged incontact with the front side of the leaf firstengaged/by the clip. As the "indicator contacts with the lea ves of thebook as they are successively presented thereto, it will remain incontact with the which I now consider the preferred'enibodt t may bemanufactured from 3125 ment thereof, it is to be understood that thestructure shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may bemade, when desired, as fall within the scope of the invention asclaimed.

I claim a 1. A book mark comprising a leaf engaging element, a pageindicating element, and a crimped elastic element connecting the pageindicating element to the leaf engaging element, the supporting elementnormally occupying a collapsed condition and adapted to be placed under,tension when extended.

2. A book mark, comprising a leaf engaging element, a page indicatingelement, a crimped elastic supporting element connecting the pageindicating element to the leaf engaging element, the supporting ele mentnormally occupying a collapsed condition and adapted to be placed undertension when extended, and means for limiting the extension of thesupporting element.

3. A book mark, comprising a leaf engaging element, a page indicatingelement, a crimped elastic supporting element connecting the pageindicating element to the leaf engaging element, the supporting elementnormally occupying a collapsed condition and adapted to be placed undertension when extended, and a flexible member connected to the leafengaging element and to the page indicating element to limit theextension of the supporting element.

4. A book mark, comprising a leaf engaging element, a page indicatingelement, a crimped elastic supporting element connecting the pageindicating element to the leaf engaging element, the supporting elementnormally occupying a collapsed condition and adapted to be placed undertension when extended, and a flexible member connected to the leafengaging element and to the page indicating element and passing throughthe supporting element to limit the extension of the latter element.

5. A book mark, comprising a leaf engaging element, a page indicatingelement, an elastic element connecting the page indicating element tothe leaf engaging element and constantly urging the former in thedirection of the latter, and jointed members connected to the leafengaging element and the page indicating element laterally of theelastic element and adapted to limit the movement of the page indicatingelement in a direction away from the leaf engaging element.

6. A book mark, comprising a leaf engaging element, a page indicatingelement, and crimped elastic members connecting the leaf indicatingelement to the page engaging element, one of the supporting elementsbeing arranged with its folds extending transversely of the leafengaging element and the other of the supporting elements being arrangedwith their folds extending longitudinally of the leaf engaging element.

7. A book mark, comprising a leaf engaging element, a page indicatingelement, and an elastic element formed integrally with and connectingsaid first elements.

8. A book mark comprising a leaf engaging element, a page indicatingelement an extensible elastic supporting element'formed integrally withsaid first elements, and means for limiting the extension of thesupporting element and formed integrally with one of said first elementsand secured to the other of said first elements.

9. A book mark, comprising a leaf engaging element, an indicator adaptedto be positioned in contact with the front side of a leaf in advance ofthe leaf engaged by said element, and an elastic element connecting theindicator to said first element for rocking movement upwardly andforwardly and laterally with respect thereto and adapted to normallyhold the indicator in page contacting position and constantly urging theindicator in the direction of said first element.

,10. A book mark, comprising a leaf engaging element, an indicatoradapted to be positioned in contact with the front side of a leaf inadvance of the leafengaged by said element, and a crimped elasticelement connecting the indicator to said first element for rockingmovement upwardly and forwardly and laterally with respect thereto andadapted to normally hold the indicator' in page contacting position andconstantly urging the indicator in the direction of said first element.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aifix my signature.

HERBERT M. FULLER.

